Pakistan 44 for 0 trail Professional County Club Select XI 305 (Zaib 65, Fisher 62*, Falconer 59, Haines 51, Ali 3-23, Abbas 3.37) by 261 runs
Pakistan’s final warm-up before the first Test, which starts at Headingley on August 19, was originally due to be played over four days but it was subsequently reduced to three due to player availability and it was agreed all 14 squad members could play.
There was a loud appeal off the day’s first ball, Pakistan claiming Gay had nicked Abbas behind, but the England opener didn’t survive for long in any case, edging Abbas to Salman Ali Agha at second in the third over.
Abbas then had James Rew caught behind for 4 but Haines raced to 50 from 30 balls, 12 of them coming from fours, only to fall lbw to Ali. Falconer and Zaib hit back with a partnership of 110, although both were given reprieves.
Falconer was on 29 when he edged Ubaid Shah, but he was dropped by Abdullah Shafique at first slip, while Saif Zaib might have been stumped when he was on 18 and charged at Sajid Khan: the ball eluded Mohammad Rizwan and went for four byes, leaving the PCC on 123 for 3 at lunch.
Zaib won the race to 50 with a single off Salman before Falconer reached the same landmark off the next delivery, but Zaib was soon out trying to hook Khurram Shahzad, caught on the rope by a tumbling Awais Zafar.
Falconer was caught behind by Muhammad Ghazi Ghori off Abbas for 59, although the replacement keeper then missed a chance to get James Sales when he was on one, after he edged the same bowler.
Luc Benkenstein was also dropped at first, by Awais off Mohammad Ali, when he was on 12, only to fall two balls later, without adding to his score, miscuing Ali to Ghazi Gori, who had sprinted to backward square.
In his next over, Ali had Noah Thain caught by Sajid for a duck at midwicket and it was 217 for 7 at tea.
Aamer Jamal got Charlie Tear caught behind for 7, but Fisher and Sales countered with a stand of 55 that ended when the latter edged Ali Usman to Saud Shakeel at first.
Fisher blasted a six off Usman to pass 50 before Shoaib Bashir was the last man out, caught behind off Shahzad for a duck.
Pakistan’s only real alarm came when Imam-ul-Haq was dropped at first by Gay after he edged Nathan Gilchrist when he was on 14.
